The Price to Pay
by Gnome Commander
Summary: AU. 3x4. Three people make up a crime solving team with special abilities, but a new crime lord takes reign over the city of Albany and it's up them to put a stop to it. But how deep does the corruption of the city run?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I am not making a god damn dime off of them. I'm just taking some creative liberty with them.

Warnings: Violence, swearing, psychic powers, and eventual lemons.

Pairings: 3x4, eventual 2x5 and 1xR (Yeah, I know. Please don't flame me about Relena.)

Author's Note: I have no idea what inspired this. This plot bunny just sort of popped into my head and I found I was really excited to write it. There might be some out of character-ish things and I'm sorry for that ahead of time.

Please read and review. I'd really enjoy hearing feedback from people and it really helps me write.

* * *

The Price to Pay: Chapter 1

* * *

Sometimes it seemed that everything just seemed to overpower him and that his shields just simply weren't enough. There were days that even stepping outside of his small, suburban home was painful and that the constant pressure in his temples threatened to make his over stimulated brain throb, threatening to explode. Even the specially constructed shields on his home weren't enough some days, making his every breath and every movement full of fiery agony. His gift with Empathy seemed to be over taxed and over used, but who else would take a stand and help the police department find their missing victims? The nearby Hudson River was both a curse and a blessing as a conduit, though the fast paced river and the long history it had dating all the way back to the time of the revolution tended to make his job more difficult.

However, he had become an essential piece of the crime solving local police departments when it came to homicide cases. Quatre used his gift to help find missing persons and missing bodies for the local law enforcement agencies in the area. The Troy, Schenectady, and Albany Police Departments relied heavily on him…especially in the murders that seemed to take place daily in all three cities. The violence and crime rates were high these past few years, nearly equal to those during the rat pack days in Chicago. It was pushing his Empathy to the limit, causing massive headaches and his stomach to reject anything that he attempted to eat.

Needless to say that today seemed to be as horrific as it had been yesterday and the day before that. At least, that was Quatre thought as his alarm blared angrily from his bedside table. The pain that had plagued him yesterday had turned to a dull ache at some obscure hour in the morning flared back to painful life, causing a sharp gasp and a groan of pain to come from the blond. He rolled over, his arm flailing about until his palm connected sharply with the top of the alarm clock, effectively ending the blaring noise. Shifting, he lifted his head and squinted teal eyes at the clock, noting that the numbers were flashing 8:30AM at him.

Another groan was issued forth as he buried his face into his pillow, going through the breathing exercises Wufei had taught him in order to block the pain. He erected mental block after mental block, visualizing a brick wall built piece by piece until the pain had eased and he was no longer assaulted by the rolling waves of anger and anxiousness coming from his neighbor across the street. No doubt the man was late for work again, Quatre thought as he kicked the coverlet off and moved to the windows. Pulling back the heavy curtains, he grimaced at the sunlight filtered in and stung his eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust his watery vision.

Sure enough, there was Larry Henderson, off to work and highly annoyed…as usual. The blond shook his head as he tied back the curtains and continued with his morning routine. It consisted of making the bed, showering, and then making his coffee and breakfast before leaving for the department to work and trying to solve the latest string of murders in the Capital District of New York.

Another sharp lance of pain laced from one temple to the other as Quatre made his coffee, causing him to hiss and rub the right side of his head. Pulling on his gloves to prevent him from picking up any emotional residue from objects, he sighed and sipped his coffee. Things never seemed to change.

* * *

"Well fuck me, you look like hell there, Cat."

"Good morning to you too, Duo." The Arabian murmured, stepping into the small office for the team specially coordinated to deal with homicide cases in the area. Quatre was no police officer, but he worked strictly with homicide and cold cases that have been on the shelves for over five or more years. He found that he could get wisps of feelings or thoughts by touching evidence, the violent energies lingering long after the crimes had been committed on the different items that were recovered from a crime scene. Sometimes he could even see faces or flashes of places from the person's mind.

Hence why the district police departments had sent two others to work with him, both having their own psychic abilities that were unique gifts and the three of them were beginning to work together to find them. Only one of them was an actual cop, however.

An oriental man looked up from his laptop across the room, his obsidian eyes glaring daggers at the man whom Quatre had addressed. "Do you come with an 'off' switch, Maxwell? You're positively incapable of being polite and your mouth never ceases to shut."

"I'm just sayin' he looks like shit, Wufei! I mean look at him," The man known as Duo sat up, his hand gesturing towards Quatre as he settled at his desk. He had long chestnut hair that was braid, falling down his back to his hips that any woman would envy. Lively violet eyes glinted, amusement and concern warring in their depths and Quatre could easily read the emotions coming from him. The amusement was for Wufei while the genuine concern was for Quatre's health. "He's as white as a sheet and looks about ready to pass out on the spot."

Officer Wufei Chang turned his calculating gaze on Quatre, causing the Arabian man to duck his head and proceed with setting up his own laptop. The Chinese man seemed to be as analytical as the computers he worked on, especially after being a police officer for nearly seven years. He could break down a crime scene and take in details, then recall them easily from memory. His hair was as black as his eyes, pulled back harshly from his face and tied at the base of his neck in a very short tail. Quatre could only guess how long it really was when loose, considering he had never seen the man even remotely in a state of disarray. However, despite the severity of his looks and the façade he wore, he truly did care about the people he saw as his friends. "How are your shields?"

"About the same as they were yesterday," The Empath answered, looking away as the Chinese man stood and walked to him. He felt the cool touch of his co-worker's fingers against his forehead and immediate relief swept through him. The onslaught of the constant emotions from Duo and the people outside the office lessened immensely as Wufei extended his gift. He praised Allah every day for Wufei and his psychic ability as a Shielder, strengthening the mental barriers of other psychics with little effort. His voice was hoarse and filled with obvious relief as he spoke, "Thank you, Wufei."

"Hm," was the only reply he got as the cool touch dropped and Quatre's reinforced barriers now kept out a good amount of backlash, the roar of pain in his head now just a simple discomfort. As the officer moved back to his desk, Duo stood and approached, taking Quatre's empty mug and filling it with the herbal tea that was in constant stock in the corner cabinet.

Another murmur thanks came from Quatre as his teal eyes watched the braided man prepare some tea for all three of them, flicking his wrist as he beckoned both Wufei's mug and his own to him from across the room. Duo's gift was a unique telekinesis, using some pulse waves to move objects and manipulate light. Currently a private investigator, the braided man didn't elaborate on his past and the others knew not to pry. Quatre knew he had been involved in some sort of government branch, though he had discovered completely by accident when he had forgot his wallet in the office…only to find Duo talking with two FBI agents.

The former operative had come to him the next day offering explanations but Quatre had simply waved him off, telling Duo that it was perfectly fine and his business was his own. Also, that he knew that whatever he was involved in would require him to lie and that he didn't want that in the way of their friendship. To this day Quatre remembered the brilliant smile and fierce hug he had received from his friend, using that memory to get him through the bad days when the negative energies overwhelmed him and he felt like hiding in a dark closet for days on end. It was a safe guard he used and used often.

Duo sent Quatre and Wufei's mugs to their desk, the white porcelain objects setting down carefully by each person as he made his way back to his own desk to sink into his leather office chair. Sipping at his tea, he looked at the file on his desk and flipped the page, leaning forward in interest as he read the details. Quatre smiled at Duo and glanced to Wufei, watching the stoic man slip on his reading glasses and began looking over a similar manila folder. Taking a sip of his herbal tea, sighing gently as the soothing chamomile soothed the tension in his body and he picked up his own folder.

The group had begun working on this case yesterday, one that involved a string of murders in the Albany harbor. For the past month, the bodies had been showing up in the general area but each of the causes of death had been different. Some had heart attacks and brain hemorrhages, but with the drugs lacing their system it hadn't raised any red flags. Others were blatantly stabbed, their throats slit, or shot executioner style. It had been difficult for investigators to form a connection between the murders, but the connection has been made through a convenience store clerk's account about a group of people who had been seen together when they had entered the store two weeks ago. The clerk had positively identified each of the victims through headshots of their corpses and the surveillance video from the store.

It was this way that all the victims had been identified as members of a local gang in the Albany area known as the Jokers, made up of drug dealers and abusers. They were a gang that the cops had been keeping close tabs on, especially since barges often came up from New York City through the Hudson and it was often speculated if they trafficked the narcotics up the river through those means. However harbor patrol had constantly searched suspected barges and ships, yet they found nothing and crews weren't enlightening them on anything…they were very well paid.

The case hadn't been given to Wufei's office until yesterday when their key witness ended as a body floating in the harbor two days ago. There were questions as to who had leaked the information and there was a formal inquisition going on in the Albany P.D., though Wufei had sealed the deal that the case was theirs when he sensed the psychic energy rolling off the body at the morgue. The clerk's cause of death was a massive brain hemorrhage, but there had been no drugs in his system or signs of disease. Wufei had gone to pick up an autopsy report that had been translated for their office from nearly five years ago, then had doubled over and nearly sick from the psychic backlash of just entering the room. Whatever had killed the clerk hadn't been drugs or disease, but a massive blast of psychic energy that had caused the man's brain to short circuit.

Upon reporting the incident to his superiors, Wufei had walked into the office yesterday and dropped the rather large manila folders on their desks. Their orders were to start working on this one, other cases be damned. However, Quatre wasn't exactly sure what they were dealing with. They needed to know is if the culprit was just a rogue psychic on a killing spree, drunk on his or her own power or one who was dealing out vigilante justice. Quatre has a sneaking suspicion that it was more than that as he turned a page in the file, his teal eyes scanning the autopsy reports on all the members of the Jokers that had been found dead. The different killing styles spoke volumes to him and he looked up to the others in the room.

"I don't think we're dealing with just one killer here," He murmured, meeting both Duo and Wufei's surprised gazes. "There are different causes of death and, if it was just one psychic, he or she would solely use their powers. However, there are people who have been killed by knife and gunshots wounds."

Wufei nodded a little, frowning and pulling his glasses off of his face to set them on his desk. He rubbed at his eyes for a moment, speaking as he did so. "If the victims hadn't been already buried, I would go see if I could sense any psychic back lash from them. Though, they have already been laid to rest."

"So, if it ain't one psycho killer doing it, do you have a theory, Cat?" Duo looked at the blond, raising a brow at him in question when the blond shook his head.

"I don't know, Duo. It could be a group of vigilantes, a few people exacting revenge for some violent crimes committed, or something like that. We should probably take a look at a few crime scenes and see if any of us can pick up anything there. Also if I can get a hold of anything that the latest victim had on him, I think I might be able to pick up a few things from them."

Once again, the Chinese man's calculating gaze settled on Quatre and caused the younger man to flinch and duck his head. However, it was Duo that spoke. "Your shields are already shredded to shit, man. You really think this is a good idea? You should probably take a couple of days off to build them back up, y'know. Wufei can only bolster them so much and you still get beat to shit when you ain't balanced."

Obsidian eyes glared at Duo, though the care free man simply grinned brightly at him as Wufei spoke. "Duo has a good point, Quatre. Even as vulgar as he put it, your shields wouldn't be able to stand up to it."

The braided man's eyes widened visibly. "Holy shit, Fei, did you just say that I was right?"

"Shut the hell up, Maxwell."

"Damn, hell must be freezing over if Wuffers just said I was right."

Quatre smiled, rolling his eyes a little and turning back to the file in front of him, interrupting their bickering easily. "I'm fine, you two. Honestly, you both worry more than a mother hen does over her chicks." He stood and drank the rest of his tea in several gulps, looking at them with a raised brow. "Should I meet you two there or shall we carpool?" He held up his keys that went to his navy Jeep Liberty, jingling them a little to get their full attention.

Duo, still grinning triumphantly, grabbed his black ball cap and tugged it onto his head. "Since you're drivin', Cat, can we stop at Dunkin Donuts? I'm craving a coolatta." He whooped as Quatre nodded, the man damn near skipping out the door at the thought of a delicious coffee coolatta. "And I think Fei should buy this time, since he finally admitted that I'm right about something."

"Watch it, Maxwell, or I swear I'll take scissors to your hair the next time you fall asleep at your desk." A slight smirk quirk the Chinese man's lips at the indiginant cry from the braided man and the sight of him clutching said braid to him tightly. Wufei adjusted his brown, unbuttoned suit jacket and checked his wallet to make sure his police badge was still there as he headed out the door.

Quatre merely smiled and shook his head, turning off the lights and locking the door as he followed them out with a slight sigh.

* * *

Across the city on the south side of Albany, a man sat quietly as he read in the newspaper about the how the rate of crime had risen in the past month. Emerald eyes scanned the columns, reading on how the police have stepped up their patrols in the habor area and he sipped at his black coffee. His brown hair fell partial into his face, obscuring half of his face nearly to his chin and his lanky, tall frame was relaxed in the café chair he was currently lounging in. He was a usual in this place, often enjoying coming here before his shift started at Galloway's Bar and Grill started. Though, he was here earlier today for a different reason entirely.

The bell on the door to the establishment rung as said reason entered, walking directly to his table and sitting down. Her cold blue eyes glittered at him for a second before placing an order with the waitress when she came over, then she looked back at the lanky man as she tossed her platinum blond hair over her shoulder. "What? No 'hello'? You are ever the strong and silent type, Trowa."

"Dorothy," Trowa turned the page in his newspaper, not looking up from it as he spoke quietly, "You're late. By an hour late, to be exact."

The woman's eyes narrowed at him slightly, however she had no time to tell him off as the waitress brought over a tall cup of chai tea. She smiled brightly and gave the girl her thanks, waiting until the waitress left before addressing Trowa. "Hmph, the thruway was ridiculously busy this morning." She stated as she sipped at her tea, watching him sharply over the edge of her cup. "However, I do bring you this."

Setting her tea down, she opened her purse and took out a white envelope and slid it across the table to Trowa. Her voice was low as she spoke to him, watching him accept the envelope and slide it into his inner jacket pocket. "Grandfather sends his regards and that your next job is in that envelope, as well as your payment." She watched him, her lips smirking at him almost cruelly.

"Understood," Emerald eyes finally lifted from the newspaper, meeting her gaze with a cool stare of his own. "It will be done by the end of the week."

"Excellent!" Dorothy stood, walking to his side of the table and pressed a kiss to his right cheek, making a loud smacking sound as she did so. "We look forward to hearing from you when you've finished." She turned, taking her tea and leaving the café.

However, she didn't see Trowa coldly glare daggers into her back nor the disgusted look as he wiped his cheek where she had kissed him.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I am not making a god damn dime off of them. I'm just taking some creative liberty with them.

Warnings: Violence, swearing, psychic powers, and eventual lemons.

Pairings: 3x4, eventual 2x5 and 1xR

* * *

The Price to Pay: Chapter 2

* * *

Quatre flexed his gloved hands repeatedly, attempting to alleviate some of his anxiety as Wufei and Duo preceded him into the morgue. He hated coming here, always finding the scent of sterility and the coppery tang of blood disconcerting. Hospitals and morgues felt the same to him, except people technically didn't walk out of morgues when they were brought in.

Hell, they didn't enter willingly in the first place.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite cop and his two investigators." Greeted a rather cheerful feminine voice from the far side of the exam room, "I was wondering when you three would show up." Dr. Sally Po had to be the only bright spot in this dreadful place, at least in Quatre's mind. The half-Chinese woman turned, setting a rather bloody looking liver back on the examine table after she had just finished weighing it on a scale that she was standing next to.

Soft blue eyes smiled at the three men as she pulled off her gloves, tossing them into a biohazard bin on the floor next to the examine table. She tugged a sheet up over a female body on the table, hiding the features and dark skin from view. "I didn't think I would see you lot for at least another…" She glanced to the clock on the wall, "three hours, if not four."

Duo grinned at her crookedly, tilting his head to the side a bit. "We thought we'd liven the day up for you a little bit, Sally." Though while the woman laughed, Duo was the recipient of a dark scowl from Wufei and a harsh elbow to the ribs. He chuckled, rubbing the side where he was elbowed and winked at the doctor. "It's good to see you, either way."

"Show some respect for the dead, you idiot." Wufei hissed at Duo, his eyes narrows and hard obsidian shards.

"We wanted to take a look at the body and belongings of a Mr. Miguel Antionez," Quatre interrupted before the two could start bickering back and forth again…like on the car ride here. "Specifically his belongings though."

Sally raised an eyebrow at Quatre, glancing over the slender man and nodded. "Good, because all I have left of him are his belongings. His body was cremated last evening and his family has yet to come to pick up his clothing, wallet, and his personals." She gestured for them to follow her, leading them towards a side door that led to the room where they stored the personal belongings of the poor unfortunate souls that the police brought in.

The men followed her into the storage room and Quatre's shields were instantly assaulted from all side, a barrage of emotions coming from the boxes stacked up on the shelves. Violence, fear, anger, and despair echoed throughout this entire room and the barriers protecting his mind buckled slightly underneath the weight of it all. Aqua eyes closed and his brow furrowed as he sought to slam up another wall against the emotions filtering in from the objects around, inhaling deeply as he did so. A sharp, knife-like pain began to lance from the center of his forehead and halo out into his temples.

He felt a coolness seeping from his right temple outwards and the emotions that threatened to cave in his fragile walls ceased to be, causing Quatre to look startled and turn his gaze on the man at his side. Wufei stood beside him, his eyes narrowed and a thin black brow rose, obviously scolding him for putting himself in such a risky position. All he could do in return was smile at the Shielder gratefully and breathe a sigh of relief, turning his attention to Sally as she took down a box with the victim's name on it.

"Here we are," The doctor stated, setting down the box and looking to them expectantly. Sharp blue eyes noted the paling features of the Arabian, the scolding but slightly concerned look on the Chinese man, and the braided American looking at the two of them and shaking his head slightly. "I'm guessing you guys are going to be doing that mind reading thing, right?"

She knew of their special abilities, having seen it several times and working with them on more than a few occasions in the morgue. It wasn't strange to see the three together here, especially when they were working a homicide case. Sally could handle dead bodies and organs without breaking a sweat…however, these special abilities of theirs creeped her the hell out.

Duo turned to look at her, grinning brightly and nodded repeatedly. "You bet your bottom dollar there, Doc." He always got a laugh at how creeped out the woman could get and he wiggled his fingers a little, one of her strawberry blond twists lifting right up off her shoulders and getting tugged by an unseen hand.

Laughter bubbled up from the braided man as the doctor squeaked indignantly and grabbed her hair away from the source of the tugging, leveling a glare that would cause a lesser man than Duo to shrivel on the spot. Instead, it only made him laugh all that harder, nearly doubling over with the force of it.

"Damn you, Duo!" She snarled at him, visibly shuddering for a moment before stalking towards the door. "Make sure you put everything back where you found it and let me know when you leave. If I'm busy, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!" She slammed the door to the storage room behind her, however the string of Chinese curses could be heard in the examine room beyond.

Wufei turned his glare on Duo, walking up next to him and smacking him upside the head. "Idiot, do you always have to antagonize that woman? We need her in order to work on our cases!" He picked up the box that had Antionez's belongings in them, stalking into the back of the room where there was a small conference room for grieving families. A chortling Duo and a slightly anxious Quatre followed, shutting the door behind them as they began to get to work.

Duo walked around, closing the blinds to shut out any prying eyes and unwanted light, a grin still on his face. "Aw c'mon, Fei, it's funny to watch Sally get the heebie-jeebies and freak out."

The blond shook his head, looking at his friend as he sat down on one of the upholstered chairs and began to tug off his brown leather gloves. "Duo, you know our abilities shouldn't be used for such things. How many times have we had this conversation? Dr. Po really dislikes us using our gifts around her and she has asked us not to do it. You're blatantly disregarding her feelings towards this."

"Lighten up, Cat-man. You and Wufei are way too serious about this stuff." Duo flopped back in on the sole couch in the room, tugging his cap down over his eyes and he folded his arms behind his head to pillow it. However, he kept his violet gaze on the Chinese man as he began to set up a barrier. "Besides, no harm no foul."

"Maxwell, you are such a child." The Shielder sighed in exasperation as he reached into his pocket and set a rather large, clear quartz stone on the small coffee table in the center of the room. "You simply cannot be serious about anything, not even if to save your own skin."

The Telekinetic in question snorted derisively, lifting up the brim of his hat to look at Wufei in slight disdain. "Wufei, you've got enough seriousness in you to make up for ten of me."

"I hope you never get it in your head to spawn, Maxwell. One of you is all that I can handle, I think I would have a heart attack or stroke if you were to ever have children." Wufei glowered at the other man before sitting cross-legged in front of the coffee table, his lean hands hovering over the crystal as he inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. "Now, let's focus on the task at hand. We need to find out what the hell is going on."

Duo continued to glare slightly at Wufei, though Quatre noticed a brief flash of hurt come from him at the stinging words flung towards the braided man. However, he had no time to reflect on it as he felt a large barrier be projected into the room to shield them all from outside psychic probes and interferences. With the Hudson River several blocks away as it ran by the city, the residue that travelled with it could still sometimes be picked up at large distances. That was the first thing that Quatre learned when developing his psychic powers with his mentor; running water was always a conduit and amplifier for both positive and negative energies.

The Empath straightened in his chair, looking at Wufei as he settled into his meditative state and then dropped his own shields carefully. Instantly, he was bathed in the emotions from his two comrades, as well as a bit of the psychic backlash from the items in the box. Wufei was a bundle of tension and some concern, the feelings directed towards Quatre. There was also some mixed jumble of feelings that were laced with a dosage of anger that revolved about the braided man in the room. Duo's feelings, however, were as jumbled and mixed as Wufei's and there was hurt laced in as well as some despair. The brief glimpse that his empathy had caught earlier was only scratching the surface.

A soft sigh came from the blond as he looked between the two. "Could you both put up your shields, please? I can't discern what your emotions are from the box." He couldn't help the small grin of amusement that tugged at the corner of his lips when both men looked abashed, putting up their shields quickly to buffer their own emotions away from Quatre's empathy.

With the two's emotions locked safely away, that left only the dark swirling mass in the center of the room that seeped from the cardboard box.

He shuddered and grimaced, pain coming to the forefront once more before he pushed it back with another breathing exercise. "Alright, let's get this done quickly." Before I pass out, he added mentally.

Duo shifted, sitting up from his lounging position and looked to the box. He lifted a hand, expanding his gift out and visualizing the lid of the box raising. The object did so and the Telekinetic set it carefully down to the side, standing to look at the contents inside the box. "What do you want first, Quatre? There's a wallet in here, the clothes he was wearing, and it looks to be a wristwatch and a wedding band."

Quatre was quiet for a moment, thinking about which object he would work with first. "What's the wedding band made of?"

"Looks like either white gold or silver, I'm willing to bet it's white gold."

"Alright, let's start with the clothing then first. The metal may retain more information than just the night of the murder and it would take more than my reserves to shift through the memories right now." Quatre stated, settling himself in the chair and began to center himself, placing an anchor in his mind so that he wouldn't lose sight of himself when touching the objects. He knew his reserves were low, but he didn't exactly know how low until he began working. If he used it sparingly, he'd be able to see what happened. Though, he did have to take into account that their gifts weren't an exact science.

Duo was quiet for a moment and the blond knew that he was watching Quatre closely for a moment, though he chose not to meet the other man's gaze. "Alright, Cat, here it comes." The Telekinetic lifted the dark gray shirt from the box with his powers, the plastic bag it was stored in opening and the material slid out, floating over to the Empath with ease. This was to prevent any of Duo's emotions filtering into the item in question, a practice that they had long used in their team.

Aqua blue eyes looked up from his hands and at the shirt that was floating above him, inhaling a shaky breath only to let it out slowly. Now, here was the hard part. He knew that Sally instructed all of her aides to handle everything with latex gloves, preventing the emotions from other people to attach onto the object. However, that didn't count the crime scene investigators that might have handled it or any of the lingering memories of the family the day of the murder. Granted, the material was cloth and didn't hold on to energies as long as items made of metal did, but there would still be lingering flashes. His job was to sift through them and find the memories and emotions from the night of the murder.

Before his willpower faltered, Quatre Winner grabbed the shirt that was dangling in front of him from a pair of unseen hands. A sharp gasp came from him as he was hurtled into a chaotic sea of emotions and visions.

_The sound of heavy footfalls rang in his ears, the sound of a person gasping for breath as he ran down…a sidewalk or a street? Quatre was unsure of which. It was dark and he couldn't see a damn thing as his heart echoed the fast pace of the man who was running, slamming hard against his rib cage as he sought to escape his pursuer. He turned a corner, going down an alley way as light flashed from a nearby street lamp as they turned on and the Empath could see that darkness was overtaking the dusk. _

_ He knew this place, he realized as his vision panned out and he looked around. He recognized it from the pictures that were in the file as the place where they discovered the body. Quatre stood next to Miguel Antionez, sweat dripping down his forward in the muggy mid-August evening. He saw sweat stains marring the shirt beneath his arms and down his chest as he leaned against a dumpster next to a brick building. The man had been running for a while and the light caught his wristwatch._

_ Both Quatre and Miguel startled as the sound of calm, leisurely footsteps echoed off the walls of the alleyway. It was then that Miguel began whispering what Quatre recognized as Psalm 23 in Spanish…_

Quatre was jerked out of the vision with a gasp, panting heavily and he shook his head to clear it. Fear had his heart pounding, the echo of the emotion in the shirt causing him to shake with the intensity from it and he held up the shirt. "Take it," He whispered hoarsely, letting go of the shirt as it floated from his hands and he looked up at Duo.

"What did you see, Quatre?" Duo asked softly, taking in the shaking and pale form of his partner. He walked to the water cooler in the corner of the room, taking two paper cups and filling each with some cold water.

"The area where the body was discovered," Quatre whispered, swallowing visibly and rubbing his head as his reaction headache started to set in. His power reserves were lower than he had first thought, but they needed to keep going. "He was running from someone, for quite a while it seems. Whoever was chasing him didn't seem in a rush to follow but easily found him." He watched Duo set one cup in front of Wufei, though the Chinese man didn't stir from his concentrated trance. When he was offered the second cup of water, he took it gratefully and downed half of its contents. "I need the wristwatch next, Duo."

Duo shook his head slightly, frowning a little at the blond man and bumped his hat up to scratch at his scalp in thought. "I don't know, Cat, you ain't looking too good from where I stand."

"I'm fine, Duo." Quatre stated, frowning at him and made a slight 'give-me' gesture with his outstretched hand. "The wristwatch, please."

The Telekinetic only sighed slightly and turned to the box, waving his hand as the bag lifted into the air and opened. The plastic dropped to the ground, but the watch remained floating in mid-air and Duo turned to take the cup of water from Quatre. The article floated to the Arabian man, whom promptly took it and let out a harsh hiss as the vision slammed into him like a freight train.

_There was a throbbing in his head and a wildly beating drum in his ears – no it was a pulse. His own pulse beating frantically in fear as he turned the corner to look at his pursuer and held up his hands, backing up slowly. He couldn't see the man hidden in the shadows. "I swear to you, I only told them that it was the Jokers!" He cried, his voice frantic as he stumbled backwards towards the end of the alley. "I didn't mention the organization's name, I swear it upon the heads of my children!"_

_ "You lie." A soft, raspy voice stated but it sounded as clear as a ringing bell to him. The streetlamp above him shattered and Quatre – no, Miguel ducked and covered his head as the light went out. The energies were so well preserved on the man's wristwatch that Quatre was having trouble discerning the difference between himself and the victim, especially since he was seeing through Miguel's eyes._

_ His heart matched the beat of the victim's beating frantically and his breath coming in harsh, desperate gasps. Quatre could feel the sweat soaking into the back of his shirt, he could taste the bile rising in the back of his throat and the coppery tang of blood from where he had bit his lip. He knew he was going to experience the man's death—_

That was when Duo knocked the watch from his grasp, causing Quatre to jerk back into the present time so hard that it damn near gave him whiplash and motion sickness. He doubled over, clutching his head as pain ripped through his entire body and causing his muscles to begin to cramp in his hands and back. "Fuck," He hissed and he rarely swore, "Duo, why the hell did you do that?" He snapped, looking at the braided man.

He watched his friend kneel down, felt him place his hands on his shoulders and shake him a little. "You're starting to get a nosebleed, Quatre. You need to pace yourself and stop over doing it. It's damn near one in the afternoon and all of us are gonna need to eat something or bad shit is going to happen."

The Empath lifted his hand, brushing at his nose to find it come away smeared with blood and he fished in his shirt pocket for a small package of Kleenex he kept on him for such occasions. He pressed the tissue to his nose, nodding a little and leaning back to look over at Wufei, frowning at the sight.

Wufei was still in his meditative state, but was pale as well and a sweat had broken out on his brow. He seemed to sway with weariness, even in his sitting position and he knew that Duo would have to look after both of them this afternoon. Wufei was extremely strong and well trained, however projecting psychic shields took the most toll on him. As it was, they had been doing this for nearly four hours…though the time felt a lot shorter to Quatre because of the way his Empathy worked.

He slumped back in the chair, letting his head fall back and he erected his mental barriers before he waved Duo off towards Wufei. "Look after Wufei, Duo. I'll be fine in a moment." His voice was muffled as he pinched his nose shut, attempting to stem the blood that continuously dripped from his nose and his eyes glanced to where the watch lay on the floor.

The mental gears turned in Quatre's head and he glanced toward where Duo was coaxing Wufei from his meditative state wit quiet words, trying not to startle the Shielder and steadying him with gentle hands on his shoulders. The Empath knew the moment that Wufei woke and the barrier was dropped around the room, because that was the moment he chose to act…while the other two were distracted from him. He leaned down and picked up the watch with his bare hand.

There was that sudden rush and a jerk that pulled him back into the emotions as he dropped his shields. However, that was when pure agony seized his head once more…and this time, he felt a curious bursting sensation and an indescribable amount of pain caused his muscles to go rigid. Quatre's mouth open in a silent scream before he collapsed and everything went dark.

* * *

They always said that patience was a virtue and, if there was anything he prided himself on, it was his infinite amount of patience. He had hunted his prey throughout the entirety of the day, biding his time and waiting for the perfect moment to strike; the perfect moment to snuff out this man's life like a candle on a birthday cake.

He found the most opportune moment while waiting in line to order his meal at the local Panera Bread, during the busiest hour of the day in the small café. Yes, lunch hour for the city was the perfect time to commit this crime. It was the perfect time to seal the deal with Oz and assure his place in their hierarchy.

His eyes closed as he waited in the back of the line, focusing on the heart beat of the Jokers' biggest drug supplier and he felt the thread of energy his heart produced. The man had to be around forty-five, perhaps nearing fifty and it would be no surprise that he toppled over from a heart attack. After all, the man was a prime example of a heart disease victim since he was quite over weight and obviously an executive or manager of some corporation. How else has the gang gotten so much money?

Squeezing his fist closed, he projected a psychic blast along the thread of energy he found in the executive's pulse. The man grasped at his chest, his hand clenching in a white-knuckled grip in his Armani suit and his gasped hoarsely. He tried to draw breath but he seemed unable to catch it as he doubled over and stumbled to the side, knocking into a honey-haired woman dressed in a rather fine suit. She nearly toppled over from the man's weight as she caught him, turning to shout to a man over her shoulder. "Heero, call an ambulance!" Then she turned her attention to the man having a heart attack as the man who appeared to be her significant other called the emergency services number.

One of the cashiers moved from behind the counter, grabbing a defibrillator kit from the wall as the suited woman opened the jacket and shirt the dying man wore underneath. They all began to work on life saving procedures, but it was too late to save the Jokers' source of funding.

And Trowa watched it all with emotionless emerald eyes.

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy cliff hangers, there will probably be a great many of them in the future. I know you're all wondering about the 3x4 and where the hell is the interaction, but it will be coming in with the next chapter.

However, I hope you're satisfied with the little 2x5 angst and the first appearance of Relena and Heero.

Please don't forget to review! I'm enjoying writing this story and I'd love to know if you are enjoying reading it.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, nor am I making money off this story. I'm simply borrowing them for a while, but they will be returned...eventually.

Author's Note: Updated a little later than I liked. Unfortunately, my online courses and work have both held me prisoner. However, thanks for hanging in there and waiting for this chapter! Please don't forget to read and review! My fragile ego really does enjoy reading them all.

Warnings: Violence, swearing, psychic powers, and eventual lemons.

Pairings: 3x4, eventual 2x5 and 1xR

* * *

The Price to Pay: Chapter 3

_

* * *

His heart was beating way too fast as he stumbled backwards, pressing into the brick wall behind him. "I swear to you! I said nothing about Oz!" Quatre—no, Miguel stated. He was having such a hard time separating himself from the victim, knowing his blood pressure was way too high and his heart was beating way too fast to be healthy. It didn't feel natural, not at all._

_ "Again, you lie." The soft voice hissed, muted and distorted by the sounds of the city around them. Quatre/Miguel looked up, the tall figure still hidden by the shadows. "If you hadn't opened your mouth, Miguel, you would have been able to walk away from everything. We wouldn't have bothered you again because we trusted you to keep your mouth shut when the police questioned you about the videos." A black gloved hand lifted towards the victim and the man sharing his mind, the fingers beginning to curl inwards slightly._

_ Now Quatre was beginning to panic, a feeling akin to a metal band wrap around his chest and tighten forcefully. The loud beating of his heart echoed in his ears, skipping a beat and stuttering slightly, causing him to gasp and attempt to catch his breath. He knew that Miguel had felt the same thing just before he died._

_ "Pl-Please," came the gasping, out of breath plea and Quatre found the view panning outwards, finding himself standing in the shadows next to Miguel now. The pain was gone and his heartbeat slowed to normal, is blood pressure easing and returning to its regular level once more. Aqua orbs locked on Miguel as the gloved hand clenched in a fist, the store clerk opened his mouth to scream and suddenly grabbed at his head._

_ The blond walked forward, kneeling down next to the phantom image of the victim as he had a massive seizure from the brain hemorrhage. How had he been pulled from the merge of emotions before the man had died? He should have been experiencing this death right along with him because his anchor was so shaky and wasn't holding him down. Quatre couldn't understand as he turned to look at the man standing in the shadows. "Oz?" He whispered, the scene around him now still-framed, "What the hell is Oz?"_

_ Everything suddenly dimmed and went black, giving the Empath the feeling of falling through blackness as he hurtled downwards as the ground disappeared beneath his feet. He made to grab on to something, anything in reach that could slow his fall or prevent him from falling further. Yet he found nothing, causing him to panic once again and he screamed until if felt like his throat was being ripped to shreds. _

_ Horrific things started to float around him as he finally came to a stop in the endless darkness, phantoms of past victims who he had encountered. A young girl with her throat sliced so deeply that you could see her vertebrae, a man whose very heart had been ripped out of his chest by his ex-fiancée, and the list just continued on. All of them reached for him, passing through him as he relived each memory for a brief moment. Each time they touched him, his lungs seemed to seize and his heart skipped a beat. It seemed to go on for an eternity._

_ Until the light finally beckoned him back into its safe embrace once more._

_

* * *

_

It was to the steady hum of fluorescent lights and the rhythmic beating of a heart monitor that Quatre Winner woke to. He simply laid there for a moment, listening to both sounds and the others that steadily filtered in from the hallway. He didn't open his eyes, not just yet. Instead, he inhaled through his nose slowly as he ran through a mental check list and wiggled his fingers and toes. His head felt slightly muddled and his mouth was as dry as the Sahara, therefore he guessed he was on some sort of pain medication. That could also be a reason why his Empathy couldn't pick up on any form of emotion, leaving him feeling like he was missing an important limb.

He knew his shields were shattered and he didn't have the strength to build them right now, which also meant that either Wufei was nearby or he had created a small shield around the room with his meditative crystals. As he opened his eyes, he groaned and closed them again as the sunlight filtered through the window on the far side of the room. They felt gritty and he rubbed at them weakly with his right hand, knowing that if he used his right the IVs in his arm would tug and be bothersome. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with tangled tubes.

Slowly, using the controls on the bed, he let himself be lifted into a reclined position so he could look around as he once more opened his aqua orbs. He blinked several times as his eyes got used to the bright sunlight and looked around the room, seeing two chairs at his bedside and he recognized Wufei's laptop on one chair and one of Duo's mystery books on the other. A soft smile curved his lips as he saw the items, mentally saying a prayer to Allah and thanking him for such a blessing with such two close friends. Though, he was sure he was going to get one hell of a scolding for what he had done…however, it was well worth it.

"You're friends will be back soon," a feminine voice rang from across the room and grabbed the blond's attention, causing him to turn his head towards the speaker. He hadn't known that he had a room mate. "They just went to the plaza downstairs to get some lunch."

Quatre met her gentle blue gaze from across the room where she sat in a wheelchair, obviously having been looking outside before his movements and groan had captured her attention. Auburn hair fell to her shoulders in curling waves, brushing against the cheeks of her slightly pale face. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap and she was dressed in a simple short-sleeved muted red shirt with a pair of dark wash blue jeans. Her face was kind, as well as a little concerned and she had a very gentle demeanor about her.

"They've been here since the nurses brought you in from critical care, Mr. Winner." She unfolded her hands and pushed her way over to the clear side of his bed, looking up at him from where she sat in her wheelchair. "Duo was chatting with me a great deal since yesterday, so it was nice to have company other than my brother."

She grinned a little when he became confused at the way she addressed him and he looked a little uncomfortable, opening his mouth to speak. However all that came out was a hoarse sound and he began coughing harshly, causing the blond to grimace heavily and press his free hand to his throat a little as he attempted to clear it. It was then that the woman reached over to the tray that sat to the side, pouring ice water into a cup from the pitcher that was there and held it out to him. "My name is Catherine Bloom, but just called me Cathy."

The Empath gratefully accepted the cup and took slow sips to quench his dry mouth, as well as soothe his scratchy throat. He held the cup in his hands, draining half of it and cleared his throat a little. "Only if you call me, Quatre," He whispered hoarsely, but still smilingly a little at Cathy and he held out his hand to shake hers, "after all, if you keep calling me by my last name, I'll think you're talking to my father and I doubt I'll respond."

She laughed softly at his quip and she nodded, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. "You have a deal, Quatre." The woman loosed her hold of him and leaned back in her chair, still looking cheerful. "So how in the world did you end up in here? I asked your friends, but they didn't enlighten me about much."

Quatre had the grace to blush and looked quite chagrinned, "I did something incredibly stupid—"

"Damn straight you did!" Wufei growled as he stepped into the room, causing both Catherine and Quatre to jumped slightly and look to him. The Chinese man looked tired with dark smudges under his eyes, carrying a salad with him as he eyed his ill friend. "You're damn well lucky that you didn't hit your head harder when you fell, Quatre. You had a fucking seizure, crying out loud! A god damned seizure!" He continued to get louder as he berated him, his obsidian eyes hard with anger and his face tight with stress.

Thankfully, Duo came in for the rescue as he plucked Wufei's salad from his hands before he lost his temper enough to smack the defenseless blonde with the clear plastic container. "Easy, Fei!" The braided man grabbed the man's tense shoulder and tried to calm him as he hissed a little, "The nurses will throw you out again like before, flashy badge or not." Duo looked a little worse for wear as well, his face pale and there were dark smudges beneath his eyes as well.

Instantly guilt washed over Quatre, causing him to look down to his lap where his hands rested. The fact that Wufei had stated that he had 'hit his head' was a code phrase that they used when one of them went into an overload backlash. When their abilities were strained and overused, it had horrible side effects on the body. They would get migraines (which Quatre had already been suffering from when they had started working on the victim's things), nosebleeds, cluster headaches, and sometimes seizures and small brain bleeds. They were usually able to stop before it reached those points, however sometimes they pushed themselves to the limit and beyond. Apparently, Quatre had gone way beyond the limit this time.

The two people he saw as his closest friends had been worried over him and lost sleep, as well as precious time trying to solve these murder cases. They both were stressed out and edgy as it was, but he had gone and created a worse situation. Now they were probably going to take him out of the equation until his was balanced and anchored firmly once more, which meant they would take on an even higher stress load and risk having overload backlashes themselves. The Empath's eyes closed, guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders.

Cathy ignored the two men bickering in the background, focusing on Quatre instead and she saw the guilt and exhaustion war on his features. She sighed softly, reaching out and touching his right wrist to avoid nudging the tubes that were attached to the needle in his hand. "Hey, it's not your fault that you got hurt. These things happen and I'm sure you'll be more careful next time to make sure you don't get hurt again." She murmured gently, ducking her head to meet his gaze when he opened his eyes to look at her.

She gave him a bright smile and then looked to the two men who were still bickering at each other, speaking to them now. "And I'm sure that you two understand, right? So, stop fighting like an old married couple before I have the nurses throw you both out." The woman remained smiling and her voice had a sharp edge to it, however it took on a more firm and threatening edge to it. It caused Duo and Wufei to look at her, their eyes wide for a moment before they both looked like proper scolded children and each went to their seats to eat their lunch.

Quatre observed this in amazement and then started laughing, his voice rough from what obviously was irritation from having a tube down his throat while in the intensive care unit. He watched Duo's cheek flushed slightly with embarrassment while the Chinese man steadfastly focused on eating his salad.

Duo recovered enough to speak. "Sorry, Cath…Wufei can turn into quite the mother hen sometimes." That comment earned him a scathing glare from said man, but he continued on, "But Quatre gave us both one hell of a scare. He hit his head pretty hard before, but we've never seen him hit it hard enough for him to have a seizure like that. It was pretty fucking scary."

Quatre looked contrite again and he looked at Duo seriously, "I'll be more careful next time. I'm very sorry, you two."

"Just focus on getting better." Cathy stated quietly and she patted Quatre's wrist once more before wheeling over to her own tray to grab the small Italian ice cup that had come with her lunch. She took the unused spoon, then rolled back over to the man's side once more and offered it to him. "Here, the cold will help your throat."

Wufei and Duo stayed until later in the afternoon, the four of them chatting about different topics. Truthfully, it was mostly Duo doing the talking as he told them outrageous stories about some of the places he had gone to and some of the craziest things he had done. He had Cathy and Quatre laughing, though it caused the latter some discomfort as he did so. Wufei had opened his laptop when Duo had begun and put on his glasses, typing away at the keys…though Quatre did notice him smirk every now and then at one of Duo's outlandish exaggerations.

After a particularly disgusting story about getting stuck cleaning elephant droppings while trying to spy on a rich man's wife at a zoo, Quatre coughed a little from the irritation in his throat. The scratchiness had gotten worse from the laughter, but he didn't really mind. After all, wasn't laughter the best cure for any illness or injury? "Duo, how long have I been here?" He asked a little, looking at the braided man.

Duo's eyes seemed to shadow a little and his smile faded. "Just about two and a half days. You were in the ICU wing and Fei had to flash his badge several times just to get us in there, as well as stating something about security and what not. Apparently you stopped breathing while en route to the emergency room and they had to tube ya." He frowned a little and rubbed the back of his neck, "We've been here since, only leaving to grab food or get a shower or something. Cathy's been nice enough to keep an eye on you when we were gone and stuff, so has her brother when he's stopped by. Fei's had to go to the office now and then to talk with the Chief, just to let him know what the hell's going on."

"I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble." Quatre murmured, looking sadly at his two friends. "I didn't mean to…I just had to get the rest of that file."

Wufei sighed and closed his laptop, looking over the rim of his oval shaped glasses. "It's fine, Quatre," He stated sincerely, "don't worry about it and just focus on getting better." He slipped his laptop into his bag, standing and he grimaced as his back audibly cracked. "I'm going to go home and get some sleep, since you're now awake. We'll talk about everything later, alright?"

He gave Quatre a rare smile, showing him that all was forgiven and for the Empath not to worry. "The doctors will probably let you out of here about a few tests tomorrow, so call me when they give you the go ahead and we'll come and get you. The Chief is giving us all a few days off anyways, since we've been overworked lately."

Duo grinned and stood as well, moving to Quatre's bedside and ruffled his hair. "Get some rest, eh? You'll be back to one hundred percent before you know it." He winked at him, ignoring the slightly annoyed scowl on his face before turning to walk towards the door with Wufei.

As both of his partners left, he sighed and rubbed his forehead a little, his head beginning to ache before he settled back in bed. Even though he had been unconscious for the last two days, he hardly felt rested. But then, he doubted being unconscious was the same as being asleep and restoring his energy. After sparing a glance at Cathy, he found himself feeling as though he needed to start some form of conversation to entertain her and he found himself at a loss of what to talk about.

However, he was saved from having to stress himself any more when a nurse entered the room with a small smile for the female patient. "It's time for your physical therapy, Catherine."

The wheelchair bound woman smiled a little, though the gesture didn't reach her eyes at all and she looked down a little. "Alright, then." She murmured, letting the nurse come around to wheel her towards the door and she looked to Quatre. At his concerned look, she gave him a reassuring smile, "Here's hoping that there will be some more progress with these legs of mine this time around, hm?"

The Arabian man smiled a little, settling back against his pillows and he nodded his head a little at her. "Good luck, you'll do fine." Ever the optimist, Quatre tilted his head a little and he watched her get wheeled away. Letting out a slow breath, he sunk back into the pillows and closed his eyes.

He felt worn out, much like a thread bare blanket and stretched too thin. He knew his Empathy was sorely over used and abused, why else would he have had the overload backlash? His exhaustion caused his shields to be in shambles and his anchor to be faulty, making both weak and full of holes. Aqua eyes closed, grateful that he didn't have to beat back stray emotions for a time and he let himself drift deeper into the recesses of his mind to assess the damage done. Unfortunately, Quatre didn't get far when sleep over took him.

* * *

Trowa walked down the hall towards Cathy's room, his long legs setting a sedate and easy going pace. He carried a small bouquet of flowers for his sister, glad that he would get there before her tests finished and he could surprise her with them. He had gotten a text message earlier that the man who had been wheeled into her room the day before had woken up, finding it amusing that Cathy was very excited about it. She hadn't been excited about much since being confined to a wheelchair since the accident, so he was rather grateful to this unknown man.

He turned the corner, knocking lightly and stepping into the room. Looking to the bed, he raised a brow at seeing the blond asleep once more and he sighed as he moved towards Cathy's side of the room to set the flowers down. He stayed quiet, his feet silent against the floor as he moved about and settled into the chair ear his sister's bed, pulling out a book.

As he opened the book, he looked towards the sleeping man's bed once more in thought. He looked almost angelic and innocent, Trowa thought as he watched the smaller man. One could only wonder if his personality and disposition matched the exterior of the man. However, everyone had their darker sides and the cynic in Trowa couldn't help but wonder if that seemingly kind face hid a cruel interior. After all, he would know all about living two different lives, wouldn't he?

As if his emerald gaze beckoned the slight man to waken, impossibly bright aqua eyes opened slowly and the blond's breathing changed as he woke. Trowa closed his book, leaning back in the chair as he watched the other man look around the hospital room for a moment and then look to him. A smirk tugged at his lips as a look of confusion swept over the Arabian man and he chuckled lowly. "Good to see that you're no longer unconscious and that you're on the mend."

Quatre met the amused emerald gaze of the other man in sleepy confusion, unable to figure out who he was. "Uh…" he said rather intelligently.

Another chuckle came from him as Trowa watched the smaller man from his seat, finding that the tousled, sleepy expression was rather attractive on the younger man. "Trowa Barton," He murmured, "I'm Cathy's brother."

"N-Nice to meet you," Quatre stammered, feeling a little embarrassed by the fact that he was so slow on picking up the ball today. He never did well on pain medication and found that he was slow on processing information when on them. "I'm sorry for being a little slow on the uptake." He murmured, his voice still husky with sleep and he stifled a yawn.

"Understandable," He remained smiling, wholly amused by poor Quatre and his befuddled expression. "Though, I would appreciate an introduction in return."

Again, another blank stare before the blond smacked himself in the forehead with his palm. "By Allah," He could feel his face heating up as a blush suffused his cheeks, "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, Quatre," Trowa chuckled lowly once more, crossing one leg over the other. "It's perfectly acceptable, especially when someone is ill." He pulled his chair closer, enjoying the other man's companionship while waiting for Cathy to return to the room. "How are you feeling today? You look better than when I was here yesterday, considering you're awake and talking."

"Ah, tired and groggy…these pain medications aren't exactly helping the situation." He rubbed his forehead a little in a vain attempt to clear it as Quatre settled back against the bed. "So, you're Cathy's brother?"

A confirmation came in the form of a nod from the brunette and he relaxed in the chair. "Half brother, actually," He explained, shrugging a little. "We have the same mother, but we're still as close as siblings can be." He smiled slowly, as if thinking of a fond memory. "She always seemed to look out for me when I was growing up, keeping me out of trouble."

"You certainly made that difficult!" Cathy stated from the doorway as the nurse rolled her in, looking tired and flushed but seemingly in good spirits. "Honestly, it was like trying to watch over a curious kitten half the time and then trying to find you when you tended to run off." She mock scowled at him, but there was a twinkled in her blue eyes that suggested she was teasing him.

Trowa simply grinned at her, then looked to Quatre and rolled his eyes. It caused the blond to laugh, which was quite a pleasing sound to the ears when he thought about it. "Please, it wasn't like you didn't drag me into trouble as well, so quit your harping." He stood, nodding to the nurse and taking hold of the wheelchair from her. "Thank you, Miss Holly."

The nurse smiled at Trowa and nodded, "You're welcome. Cathy's doctor would like to talk with you for a moment, if you don't mind."

The lanky man nodded, wheeling Cathy over to Quatre's bed and smiled at the two of them. "I'll be back in a few minutes, you two. Try not to cause too much havoc while I'm gone, alright?" He started for the door, walking with the nurse.

The girl looked to Quatre and rolled her eyes, imitating her brother a moment ago. "Please, we're not five." She laughed softly and the sound infected the Arabian man, causing him to chuckle lowly himself. Watching the blond, she found herself amused by him. He seemed like a good person and she wanted to get to know him more, especially since he had such an honest streak in him. "You wouldn't believe how much he tends to act like a mother hen, as if I'd break if I so much as sneezed!"

Trowa glanced back once more, finding Cathy chattering on at Quatre as she rolled to her side of the room to get the checkerboard he had brought from home a few days ago. Well, at least she didn't seem as defeated as she had the day before and her spirits seemed a little brighter. Perhaps there was a chance she would walk again after all.

He could only hope that the doctor had good news for him.

* * *

Duo and Wufei sat with the two witnesses, listening to each of them. Heero was an old friend of Duo's from the military, at least that's what Duo had told him. The Chinese man knew that there was more to it than that, however he didn't press the subject at the moment. No, there were more important things than that.

The two of them had just stopped by their office to collect their things and head to their separate apartments, however the chief had intercepted them before they could do so. Chief Une had pulled them aside and explained to them the situation about the heart attack victim, saying that it was similar to the current case they were working on. She also had stated that two witnesses were currently here to speak with them in their office. So, having no choice in the matter, the two tired psychics went into their office to speak with them.

"So, he just started having a heart attack?" Wufei looked between the two of them, raising a black eyebrow as he paused in taking his notes. Something wasn't adding up, especially since the cause of death was similar to that of the convenience store clerk in the Jokers case. However, it occurred in broad daylight rather than at night. Was their killer slipping up and losing control of it?

Relena Peacecraft nodded her head, looking to her bodyguard and boyfriend of nearly two years. "It was really sudden, actually. He didn't look sick or even pale, that I noticed anyways. I didn't really get a good look at him before he fell into me." She looked to the stoic, emotionless man beside her. "What about you?"

"He seemed fine." Heero stated, shrugging his broad shoulders a little. "Caucasian man, about five feet and seven inches tall and was about fifty pounds overweight. His age was maybe about mid-forties to early fifties. He wasn't perceived as a threat."

That last line drew a slight scowl from the honey-haired woman beside him, raising an eyebrow at him in question. "Honestly, can you think in terms of a human being instead of a perfect soldier for once? The man had a family, who are all in shock that he died so suddenly." She huffed slightly when Heero merely shrugged and continued to look at Wufei and Duo.

The two psychically gifted men looked at each other, a frown on their faces. "You know what this means." Wufei murmured, closing his notebook and watching Duo stand.

The braided man sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, turning towards the door of their office and grabbing his black baseball cap. "I'll start digging. Hopefully, I can turn up something on this guy before noon tomorrow. Another night without sleep." Duo stated pathetically as he left the office, shutting the door behind him.

Wufei sighed, rubbing the spot between his eyes as his head began to ache and the tension in his shoulders caused yet another knot to form. The saying 'when it rains, it pours' came to the forefront of his mind. It was bound to be yet another late night.

* * *

_To be continued…_

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Author's Note: See that little button at the bottom of the page that says "Review"? Click it! I'm always happy to hear from people.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing nor have I ever claimed to. I just borrow the boys for a while to amuse myself and others.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, blood, sometimes gore (but not in this chapter). Psychic abilities and other paranormal stuff. Sexual situations, slash, and eventual smut. If you don't like, then don't read.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, 1xR if you squint.

Author's Note at the End

* * *

The Price to Pay: Chapter 4

* * *

Two days later, Quatre was walking along the Hudson River as an easy going pace though he was inwardly fuming. Wufei and Duo had banned him from the office, stating that his talent was still too raw to be even near the case that they were working on. They didn't want him anywhere near it, since Wufei's shields were just barely keeping the evidence that they had collected contained. Therefore, he had insisted that they came to his house that morning.

He had been released from the hospital the day after he woke up, the doctors having pronounced him fit to leave but said to stick with light duty for now. After all, head injuries did have lasting affects on a body for days afterward. Quatre had nodded like an obedient patient, though he didn't leave the hospital right away. Instead, he remained to visit with Cathy…as well as Trowa when he had come early that afternoon.

In spending time with both of them, he had discovered that Cathy had been in a car accident about nine months prior. Her spinal column had been severely damaged and they were attempting to relieve the pressure on it, however the treatments hadn't been working. She was paralyzed from the waist down and the prognosis was that she would never walk again. However, the woman seemed absolutely determined to prove them wrong and she didn't accept the diagnosis. With Trowa's support and care, she felt that she would be back on her feet in no time at all.

Quatre had smiled, finding that Cathy reminded him of one of his many sisters and said as much. Iria was the bright spot in Quatre's life, considering he was estranged from his father. She was the one he kept in close contact with and tried to visit as often as possible, since she lived in New York City. Both she and their father with the stock exchange on Wallstreet, though Quatre had never had any interest in it. He had explained as much to them, but left out how his father ran Winner Enterprises…since Quatre really did prefer not to deal with the company he was heir to.

It was about that point that Cathy had begun speaking about what Trowa did for a living and the quiet man simply added in small details and corrections at different times. While the bubbly woman had gone on about how Trowa was finishing his Masters in engineering at RPI and that he should be done after next semester, Quatre found his eyes moving to the silent brunette sitting next to her.

There was a very slight smile playing around the edges of the taller man's mouth and though his hair partially obscured his gaze, Trowa's emerald eyes seemed to be amused at his sister's bragging. That gaze then looked to Quatre and the blond man felt his breath hitch in his throat as they looked at each other, the intensity of the moment sending sparks of awareness down his spine. He resisted the urge to squirm, a strange sensation beginning to tickle the back of his mind as Trowa looked towards Cathy again to murmur a soft reply to a question that she had posed to him.

Quatre had to give himself a mental shake, snapping back to the present conversation and make a comment about something obscure and unimportant compared to the quandary in his mind. Was he beginning to feel attraction towards this silent man? Long ago, he had come to terms with his sexuality and it was partially the reason why he and his father were slightly estranged. Most of his family had kept from contacting him for fear of provoking their father's wrath, save for Iria. At least she had the proverbial balls to stand up to him, just as Quatre had…yet, she remained close to him. Then again, she was happily married to a very good friend of the family and the two were currently attempting to have a child, though had no luck as of yet.

Quatre supposed that the fact he would never produce another heir to take the Winner name was a driving block between him and his father. The old man was old fashioned, thinking that the family business should be passed on to the male heir in the family. Alas, when Hassim Winner was blessed with a son…that son turned out to prefer men over women. Though, the blond heir would sign the company over to Iria if his father didn't do so first…especially since Quatre preferred his somewhat quieter life than that in the business world.

The blond sighed a little, finding a small bench beneath the shade of an oak tree to relax for a few moments. He always tired so easily after a psychic backlash, though his shields were improving by the hour and the fact that the river acted more as a dampening mechanism today was a blessing as well. Rubbing at his forehead, he leaned forward on his knees as he tried to breathe through the anger that was still boiling inside of him and looked back on the earlier meeting with Wufei and Duo.

* * *

Wufei sipped at his coffee, enjoying the bitter flavor against his tongue as he leaned back against Quatre's couch. It was rare that he drank coffee, tending to prefer the calming influence of tea rather than the bite of coffee. However he would indulge in the brew when he was stretched thin, using it to keep his senses sharper than normal and to maintain a state of awareness that would prevent him from getting too lax. After staying awake for nearly forty-eight hours, he damn well needed the coffee.

Also, considering the fact that Duo had driven them here…well, that was all the more reason to drink the stuff. Though, after that car ride, he wished that Quatre had some Bailey's Irish Cream stashed around here some where.

"So, Senator Peacecraft and Mr. Yuy were at the scene?" The Arabic man asked from the kitchen over the sound of sizzling bacon. Wufei, for a seventh time, thanked the Gods for how thoughtful he was. The blond, upon seeing the two of them on his doorstep, ushered Duo and himself into the house and told them both to shower. He had then set about to making them breakfast and coffee.

"Yes," the police officer confirmed, looking at his friend as he moved about in the kitchen. "Neither of them saw anything out of the ordinary though. Sally said that the man died of a massive heart attack, but the woman could find no signs of heart disease. He did have a slightly elevated cholesterol level, but it wasn't enough to cause a heart attack on that scale."

"Wufei is failing to mention that he received a psychic overload from the body as well." Duo's voice caused Wufei to look up, seeing the chestnut haired man standing on the stairwell in just a pair of jeans. He felt his throat dry out a little as the other man walked down the last few steps, walking across the wooden floor with bare feet and his hair dark from the water. The tip of the long braid was still dripping a little and a few droplets of water ran down the pale skin of Duo's chest.

Obsidian eyes followed the water droplets downwards, tracing the faded scars that he never knew Duo had and three seemed to have been from possibly life-threatening wounds. One across his left side was slightly raised and shiny, as though it was left by a burn and it must have been painful. Another was what looked to be a knife that trailed low across his abdomen, through the faint dusting of chestnut hair that was just below his navel and the thin white-line disappeared beneath the hem of his pants. The last scar was on his right shoulder, just below the edge of his collar bone where he must have been shot. There was no exit wound, Wufei noticed as Duo walked past him to grab a cup of coffee, on his back.

He gave himself a mental slap and snorted derisively at Duo, looking away as he fought not to let the American's semi-nakedness disturb him. "Please, it was just a slight nosebleed."

"Yeah, one that caused you to go through a whole box of tissues because it wouldn't stop." The Telekinetic added cream and sugar to his coffee, then sat down on the couch next to Wufei. "Slight nosebleed, my ass."

"Shut the fuck up, Maxwell." Wufei hissed, ignoring the burning in his cheeks as he continued to gulp his coffee. He also tried to ignore how close Duo was to him and how the lazy curl of desire began to spread through his stomach. Already his mind was forming images of Duo perched between his knees and shutting him up by thrusting his cock deep into the brunette's mouth and down his throat—

The sound of Quatre delicately clearing his throat and the watchful gaze of his teal eyes caused Wufei's flush to become extremely noticeable. He set down his coffee mug and started towards the stairs, ignoring the quirk of a blond brow and the surprised indigo gaze of Duo following him. "Shower's mine," was all the Chinese man said as he went up the stairs.

"Reinforce your shields, Wufei." Quatre called after him, then looked to Duo as he caught the heavy weight of concern from the chestnut haired man. "And that goes for you as well. I'm still picking up easily from both of you."

Instantly, the emotions from both men dissipated. "Yeah," Duo said, leaning back in the couch, "that's what you get for over using your talent. Your Empathy is so raw right now that if Wufei hadn't charged those projection crystals that he gave you when we got here, you'd be thrown back into a relapse." He lifted a hand, frowning a little as a piece of toast lifted and floated towards him. He smirked when Quatre tried to grab it, but the food deftly dodged the blond's grasp and floated to Duo's outstretched hand.

He took a solid bite out of it and winked at Quatre, speaking with his mouth full. "Wufei and I are officially banning you from the office for the next week. Got it?"

Aqua eyes locked on Duo and narrowed dangerously, "I wasn't aware that I needed permission to enter or that one of you needed to motherhen me to death."

"We do when you pull stunts like you did a few days ago."

"If I hadn't, we wouldn't have a damnable named linked to these murders!" Quatre glared at him, his temper getting riled and he flipped the pancakes angrily. "There's a gang war going on and I'm not about to be sidelined, especially when Oz obviously has a Electrokinetic working for them!"

Duo looked at the Arabian man for a long moment and raised an eyebrow. "Oz? What's an Electrokinetic?"

Quatre sighed, looking at the other man. "The man in the vision mentioned the named Oz. I'm presuming that's the name of this gang that's taking over the Joker's turf and executing them. As for an Electrokinetic, it's a type of psychic ability that my mentor told me about. They can sense the electric pulses that jump from nerve ending to nerve ending in the body and manipulate them. They can slow a person's heart rate to throw a clot that causes a stroke or—"

"Speed up a person's heart to make it give out, therefore causing cardiac arrest." Duo supplied, his violet eyes wide and he whistled lowly. "Damn, Cat-man, that's some pretty serious shit."

The blond nodded, fixing Duo a plate of pancakes, bacon, and some home fries before making a plate himself. He set the two plates down on the dining room table, then fixed one for Wufei when he got out of the shower and refilled the man's mug. "I couldn't see the psychic's face though and his voice wasn't very clear." Quatre sighed, sitting down at the table and taking a sip of his orange juice before rubbing at his forehead a little.

Duo sat down beside him, frowning a little. "Yeah, well until Wufei gives you the go, you're not to come to the office. Take some time off and relax a little, especially since you've been so overworked lately."

The Empath pushed his home fries around before popping one into his mouth, watching Duo floating the plate of toast over to the table to set down. "What about you guys?"

"We'll manage," Came Wufei's voice from the stairs, walking down them and to the table, taking the empty seat where his full plate sat. He was dressed in a fresh pair of black slacks, as well as a button down muted blue shirt with two of the buttons undone at his throat. "I doubt we'll be doing much but research as we will be resting our gifts as well. We're all a little worn out, I think."

Duo looked at Wufei and smiled, nodding a little. "We'll have to be mundane for a while? Man, what a bummer!" He joked, grinning at Quatre and winking. However, the blond man was still frowning.

"I still think that I should be able to help—"

"Out of the question," Wufei stated firmly, fixing him in place with a glare from those obsidian eyes. "Until I can trust you not to be a fool around the evidence, then you will stay away from the office. I don't care what sort of useful information you thought you picked up."

"Wufei, that's not fair." Duo frowned at him from across the table.

"It's true, though. It was childish of Quatre to do that, he is an important member of the team. If he continues to act on his own impulses—"

"I didn't act on an impulse! I was trying to help and finish the information, Wufei!" Quatre protested, his teal eyes darkening as his temper started to rise. "I almost had it when Duo knocked the watch from my hand that last time."

Wufei slammed his fist down on the dining table, causing both Duo and Quatre to jump. "Stop acting like a petulant child and own up to your responsibility, Winner! You're off the case until further notice and that is an official decree."

Quatre stood, glaring down at Wufei. "By who? You?"

"By Chief Une." Wufei shouted, his eyes blazing. "And by me as well, considering the stunt you pulled. I can't trust you around the evidence as you have made clear that you will disobey orders, Winner, and try to play the hero. You're on paid leave until further notice."

* * *

Quatre nearly snarled aloud as he sat on the bench, his hand clenched into fists as rage continued to churn in his stomach. Though he could see the situation from Wufei and Une's view, he still thought that he was in the right. What good was he if he couldn't use his talent to better the world? Wasn't that why their task force was put together?

Their breakfast had continued in stony silence after that, Duo caught between both perspectives had wisely kept his mouth shut (for once). His two friends had left as soon as the meal was finished, but Duo had reassured Quatre just as Wufei was out of earshot that he would try to talk the Chinese police officer around. The Telekinetic said that Quatre had given Wufei a bad scare and that this was his way of coping with it…or so he thought.

"Well, interesting seeing you here."

The voice caused Quatre to look up, the familiar baritone notes tickling his mind as he saw a pair of strong, lean legs. His gaze travelled upwards, taking in the dark gray basketball shorts and the white tank top that was damp from exercise, clinging to the lean muscles of a man's chest and abdomen. Continuing to look upwards, he met the dark green gaze of a slightly out-of-breath Trowa Barton. "Trowa?"

The tall, slender man smiled ever so faintly as he sat on the bench beside Quatre and seeming to breathe a small sigh of relief to get out of the hot August sunshine. "I thought it was you that I jogged past, but I wasn't sure." He pushed his caramel hair from his forehead a little, though it only flopped back down into his face as he leaned back against the bench. "What brings you out here? I haven't seen you out this way before."

"Walking and thinking," Quatre shrugged a little, smiling slightly at him. "I needed to get out of the house and thought some fresh air would help settle me down a little."

Trowa nodded a little in understanding, "I hear you there. That's why I go jogging." He nodded his head towards the path, "The physical exertion tends to help." He frowned faintly as they both settled into an easy, companionable silence and each became somewhat preoccupied with their own thoughts.

It stretched on for a few more moments before Quatre broke it. "How is Cathy doing? Have the doctors let her out yet?"

"She's alright," The engineer student murmured and frowned a little, "and not yet. They said perhaps next week. They're worried about more pressure on her spinal cord and want to keep her another few days to make sure there won't be any complications. They're hoping that some of the pressure was relieved with the last surgery, but she still has no movement or feeling in her legs."

"I see," Quatre murmured softly, rubbing his head a little and sighed. "She must be going crazy in there."

"A little, but the nurses keep her busy. She told me to tell you that you're invited to our place for dinner whenever." Trowa waved his hand a little and he looked a little chagrined, "She said your company would do me wonders of good." He gave Quatre a half-grin.

That caused the Empath to laugh, catching overtones of emotions from Trowa that he didn't really realize he was giving off. "She's that worried about you? Not everyone is a social butterfly like she is."

Trowa chuckled himself and shrugged a little, "That's what I said. However, she told me that I needed friends to spend time with and so I wasn't emotionally stunted." He grinned a little more, the amusement reaching his emerald eyes and caused them to come alive. Quatre watched how the light seemed to dance in them and he felt a bubbling emotion swell in his stomach, tickling like butterfly wings. "You're right though, Quatre, she is worried about me."

All at once, it seemed the light went out of Trowa for a moment and he became weighed down again. It was almost like he carried a heavy, unseen weight on his shoulders and he visibly slumped a little. Quatre hadn't really seen it in the hospital whenever Trowa came to visit, but he was now realizing just how much Trowa hid behind a mask of strength for his sister.

"Well then, how about we hang out tomorrow night? You're more than welcome at my place." Quatre grinned, attempting to coax that happiness back to the surface and his Empathy to sense it. His head started to ache and he coaxed it back like coaxing a kitten from a tree branch. "I'll make dinner if you grab a movie or something."

Emerald eyes turned to meet teal and Quatre sensed surprise from the taller man. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. It would cause less worry for Cathy and keep us both from going nuts on our own. I'm banned from the office, so I'd appreciate the company since I'm not allowed to go back to work for a few more days." He smiled at Trowa, tilting his head and smiled.

"Alright," Trowa reached for his pocket, seeming caught off guard and Quatre caught overtones of uncertainty before raising his shields once more. "What's your phone number? I'll call you tomorrow to run by some movie titles with you."

Quatre smirked, giving him his number and they discussed briefly what sort of meal he should cook. Once it was settled on a simple dish of pasta and garlic bread, then discussed directions, as well as a time. "So, it's settled!" The blond man grinned brightly at Trowa and it caused the other man's lips to quirk upwards a little.

Nodding, Trowa stood and slid his cell back into his pocket. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. I need to get going and shower before I visit Cathy." He started walking backwards down the paved path and lifted a hand. "Take care and don't over do it or else I might just snitch to Cathy, considering she's probably been worrying herself over you too."

Quatre waved a bare hand in return, chuckling. "Tell her that I said 'hello' and that I'll talk to her soon. See you tomorrow!" He watched as Trowa turned to jog, his teal gaze moving over his muscular form slowly and he smiled. It was then he realized that a great deal of his anger had dissipated and he couldn't help but start for home, his spirit a little lighter than it had been before.

* * *

Treize Kushrenada casually turned a page in the business proposal on his desk, looking over it with disinterest that was apparent to any who looked on. "Really, Dermail, you're too concerned about it. I doubt the police even know who we are yet."

"We've constructed the demise of the Jokers, as well as some of the more unofficial want-to-be street gangs as a turf war with blame settling on each other." Dorothy set her tea cup down, looking to the elder man with her sharp, cold blue eyes. "They haven't a clue as to what is happening. Everything is going according to plan."

Dermail paced the room in agitation, looking between the two aristocrats and scowling darkly. "Don't you fools understand!" He hissed, glowering at them. "My sources in the police department have brought me this!" He took a manila folder from his brief case and tossed it onto Trieze's desk, spilling copies of pictures and files from it across the polished oak surface.

A picture of Quatre, Duo, and Wufei spilled out of them working with evidence in their office. The blond man was reaching out with an ungloved hand to an object that was floating in mid-air that the braided man seemed to be concentrating on, while the Chinese man was sitting to the side in a meditative state. "I've been told that these three are part of a special force within the police department. They all have special 'abilities' where they take on extremely difficult cases and solve them."

Dorothy walked to the desk, looking down at the picture and the files with Trieze in interest. Trieze, however, lifted the picture to look at it for a long second. "Well, then," he murmured softly, looking up to Dermail with a cool gaze, "get more information on what they can do and how they do it, as well as their current case. We'll make sure to throw a distraction their way."

"Shall I call in Trowa?" Dorothy asked sweetly.

"Not yet," Trieze picked up the file and began to look through it. "He'll have his part to play soon enough."

* * *

_To be continued…_

* * *

Author's Note: As promised, chapter four has been posted. I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter will have some interaction between Trowa and Quatre, as well as some between Duo and Wufei. Also, another chapter of All The Wild Horses is in the works! So, stay turned for more!

As always, _please_ read and review! Even if it's to tell that you were here and read the chapter. I really appreciate it and it takes helps me get motivated to write more.

Thanks everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters within. The plot is mine though.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, 1xR

Warnings: Some smutty goodness in this chapter (There's a reason why it's rated M, guys. If you don't like it, I suggest you just skip over it.), a hefty dollop of angst, with some foreshadowing on top. Again, more suspense and a bit of a cliffhanger. (If you can call it that, part of me says that it's not…) Slash, yaoi, yadda yadda…

Author's Notes at the end!

* * *

The Price to Pay: Chapter 5

* * *

The first thing that came into Duo's head when he woke was why his bed was so uncomfortable, causing him to shift a little and mutter some obscenity. He didn't both opening his eyes, turning to hide part of his face into his pillow to settle in so that he could go back to sleep. After all, it had to be just after seven in the morning and it was still too early to even think about getting up. Wufei had mentioned about taking the next day off.

The second thing that the former government agent realized was that his pillow _moved_. As in it rose and fell evenly, as if it were breathing. This caused Duo to inhale deeply, holding it for a moment as he tried to decided whether or not to panic before opening his eyes or afterwards. He let out the breath slowly, his indigo eyes opening and looking around the dimly lit room. A room that he certainly knew was _not_ his own.

Frantically, he tried to remember the night before and he sifted through his exhausted memories. He remembered driving Wufei to his house, talking with the Chinese man about how long it should take for Quatre's shields to be in working order and about how they were to start researching the organization known as Oz. They had spread the files on the coffee table, making an outline and a time frame for each murder, as well as making was Duo called a "spider web" to connect them all.

Wufei had been cranky throughout the entire thing, telling Duo that he was making a mistake or doing something wrong. The Shielder had corrected it himself, the lack of sleep causing his to be particularly prickly and easy to anger. The two of them had continued well into the wee hours of the morning when Duo began to yawn and he had leaned back against the couch in an attempt to relieve the stiffness in his back.

Then, he had woken up in the current situation. The Telekinetic slowly lifted his head in an attempt to not disturb his sleeping partner and he looked down at him by propping himself up with his forearm. Wufei's features seemed a little softer as he slept, his face less pinched and he looked younger because of it. Violet eyes traced over the peaceful face and a smile quirked his lips upwards as he saw the usually harshly restrained hair loose and tousled. Inky black strands had escaped from the ponytail, falling against the creamy skin of his forehead and Duo couldn't resist the temptation to push it back.

At the soft touch of his fingers, the Shielder stirred but didn't wake. He turned his head towards Duo's touched and he shifted, the arm that was around Duo's torso tightening a little to pull him closer. The smile on the braided man's lips became larger, but then a thought dawned on him and it caused that smile to fade away slowly.

What would happen if Wufei woke to the situation? The cop wasn't all that fond of Duo, he had made that clear as daylight to everyone in the vicinity. He shifted again, a tight feeling began to settle in his chest as he closed his eyes tightly and he bit his lip harshly. But when would he ever see Wufei so vulnerable again and without his prickly guard up? Opening indigo eyes to focus on the man beneath him, Duo took in every nuance of his countenance and burned it into his memory.

His fingers softly traced the edge of Wufei's jaw, the rough stubble that had grown in overnight tickling the pads of his fingers as he did so and he licked his suddenly dry lips. Duo would be lying if he said that he wasn't attracted to the strict play-by-the-rules cop, especially since he had always wanted to see what the man would be like flying apart as he thoroughly fucked the man into the mattress. Or the wall…or one of the desks at the office.

_Okay, Duo, wrong train of thought considering your crotch is firmly pressed against his outer thigh_, the Telekinetic scolded himself as he tried to change the directions of where his thoughts were going. However, as he looked down at Wufei's face and his indigo eyes focused on those lips…he couldn't help but wonder what they would feel like against his. Not really one to resist temptation, Duo leaned down to kiss Wufei.

An electric shock jolted down his spine at the first contact of their lips and Duo just barely suppressed a moan that threatened to spill from the back of his throat, inhaling deeply was Wufei's breath mingled with his own and he felt the man beneath him slowly part his lips as the Shielder began to rouse. His cock stirred in his jeans and began to harden, his pants beginning to become uncomfortably tight. A faint tremor ran through his lean body as he felt the lips beneath his own part, responding to the drugging kiss like a moth fluttering towards an open flame.

Wufei let out a soft groan, coming back from his exhaustion induced sleep to the feeling of lips pressed against his own and his hormones seemed to be thrown into overdrive. His usual morning wood came flaring to life, a fire lighting in his very veins as his lips parted to allow a questing tongue into his mouth. He wasn't fully awake, but he couldn't find it in him to care as he felt lean, calloused fingers slide beneath the hem of his shirt to trail across his stomach and move upwards.

Obsidian eyes opened to briefly meet a dark indigo gaze, Wufei's tongue stroking alongside Duo's and his eyes closed again. He must be dreaming, because there was no way the Telekinetic would be doing this to him. He parted his legs a little, causing the strong column of Duo's thigh to slide between his own and he rubbed cloth-covered erection like a cat in heat, nearly purring as it applied some much needed pressure against his aching flesh. A soft pant caused him to break from the kiss, his head falling back against the armrest of the couch and he hissed lowly, "Fuck."

Duo trailed kisses along Wufei's neck and the dark haired man shivered, gulping air into his burning lungs as a clever finger twirled around his left nipple, the nub of flesh hardening into a pebble-like state. Obsidian eyes slid closed as the dream seemed to grow more heated and he felt his face flush as the braided man's velvet tongue slid up along the column of his throat, trailing all way up to the outside shell of his ear. "Ahh," Wufei panted, his hips jerking against Duo's thigh in desperation.

"You like that, Fei?" Duo asked softly into his ear, causing the man to begin to tremble as he continued to talk dirty. "Feels like you fucking love it, considering how hard your cock is." He shifted his thigh upwards to apply a fleeting amount of pressure to the bulge that threatened to burst out of Wufei's slacks. "I bet your cock is fucking dripping already, yeah?"

Still thinking it was a dream, the usually stoic man cried out softly in need and he opened his eyes to look up at Duo. "D-Duo…" He stuttered, turning his head to look at his dream lover. He knew that his face was flushed from arousal, but he couldn't find the frame of mind to care as he watched indigo eyes darken to a purple that damn near rivaled the night sky.

A guttural sound rumbled from the braided one's chest and he rocked his hips forward, rocking his trapped hard on against his partner's hip and leaned in to whisper against Wufei's lips, "Don't do that, baby, because I'm likely to embarrass myself if you moan my name like that again."

Feeling impish, Wufei reached up to thread his fingers into surprisingly life-like chestnut hair and tugged on it to tilt Duo's head back. He leaned up to lick the salty skin that covered his Adam's apple and nipped the skin, moaning softly at the delicious taste that he would now always associate with the Telekinetic. "Duo…fuck, you taste good." Wufei moaned softly, feeling free to shake loose the tight control he always had on himself. After all, it was only a dream, right?

He felt more than heard Duo gasp sharply and he pushed upwards as he tugged the hem of his partner's shirt up to run his strong fingers over impossibly soft skin. Fingers gently brushed over the raised but smooth scar tissue of the burn that Duo had sustained at some point in his life, a small sound of sympathy rising in his throat. He felt Duo stiffen at his touch, obviously afraid that Wufei might be disgusted but the Chinese man merely moved on downwards to flick open the button at top of the opening to his jeans.

The sound of the zipper echoed through the room as Duo tucked his face into the junction of his partner's shoulder and neck, a trembling of anticipation settling into his limbs as he felt his hot flesh meet the cool air of the air conditioned house. Clear fluid already gathered at the tip of his erection and he felt Wufei trace the trail of hair teasingly from his navel down to the soft curls nestled at the base of his cock but that touch completely avoided where Duo wanted it the most. "Fei," He whimpered softly against his neck, his teeth finding the skin to bite down and suck hard.

Just as Wufei was about to wrap his hand around Duo's twitching cock, he felt the pain of the love bite and he completely froze as the pain registered in his brain. Ebony eyes snapped open, looking at Duo and took complete stock of where his hand was, as well as the situation he found himself. He inhaled deeply as panic was beginning to overtake the desire that hazed his mind as he realized that this, in fact, was _not_ a dream. One didn't feel pain in a dream.

A soft, keening moan came from the man on top of him and Duo snapped his hips towards Wufei's still hand. The need that consumed his mind and body seemed to override his usual attention to detail. "Fei," He moaned softly, licking the strawberry mark he had left on the Shielder's neck. "Fuck, babe, don't stop." With a roll of his hips, he managed to make his cock brush against the hand that was oh-so-close to it.

The next several moments were blurred and, whenever Duo would look back on them, he wasn't exactly sure how he ended up flat on his ass on the floor. However, the couch that he and Wufei had been about make love on was between them. Looking up from his position, he saw that the Chinese man's eyes were wide and that he had a stricken look on his pale face. His chest heaved, panting as if he had just run a marathon twice over and he was visibly trembling with an arm raised up in an almost defensive gesture.

Now Duo was thoroughly confused and quite concerned, standing slowly as he kept from trying to set the startled man off. He raised his hands in a gesture of helplessness and surrender, trying to put him at ease. "Wufei…"

Wufei couldn't believe what had happened. He had been having a nice dream about himself and Duo, then _this_ is what he had woken to. Honestly, he was having a hard time coming to terms with his attraction for a man…let alone his co-worker and fellow psychic. Obsidian eyes flickered to Duo when he spoke his name, his face paling in the morning light.

Duo slowly straightened, meeting Wufei's eyes with his own and he licked his lips a little to moisten them. "Alright, Wufei…let's just sit down and talk—"

"Don't fucking patronize me, Maxwell!" The Shielder snapped, resorting to anger to overcome his embarrassment. "I'm not a fucking woman that needs to be fucking comforted."

The braided man took a deep breath, trying to physically manage the emotional pain that lanced through him suddenly and he masked it well away from Wufei. He gave a bit of a grin, even though he was inwardly bleeding inside at the outraged response from his would-be lover. "Okay, okay." He murmured, lowering his hands slowly, "but we should really figure this out."

"Figure this out?" Wufei all but snarled, his eyes narrowing, "You were taking advantage of me while I slept! Tell me, what the hell is there to 'figure out'?" He made quotation marks in the air when he stated the quoted words. "Where the hell do you get off anyways?"

Violet eyes narrowed at Wufei and he dropped his hands, his facial features darkening and heralding and on-coming storm. "Excuse me? Taking advantage of you while you slept? Please, you were just as much of an active participant in it as I was."

"Bull shit!" Wufei shouted, a vein beginning to stand out in his forehead and neck as he shouted. "I thought it was another—" He stopped, flushing darkly as the word 'dream' hung in the air between them unspoken and he just as good as admitted that he fantasized about the Telekinetic before.

There was a brief, almost shocked silence between the two men before Duo raised an eyebrow at him. "Wufei, you've had dreams about us…?"

"Get out." Came the deadly snarl from the detective, Wufei fixing cold obsidian eyes on the other man. "Get the hell out of my house, Maxwell."

Duo started towards him, opening his mouth to speak but he stopped and just shook his head. He tucked himself back into his pants easily, the conversation having cooled the desire in his veins. He didn't have to be an Empath like Quatre to feel the rage emanating from the Shielder. Instead of arguing further, he simply picked up his half of the case files and set them straight, not looking at the trembling form of his would-be lover.

Once his things were collected, he started towards the door and opened it. However, in the threshold, he turned to finally look at Wufei's back. "You won't be able to avoid this subject forever, Wufei..." He murmured softly, his voice emotionless. "And you won't be able to avoid me, either. We still have to work together and, at some point, we're going to chat about this."

"Please," Wufei's voice caustic, "you're a fool to think I would want to be with an irresponsible child who doesn't know the consequences of his own stupidity." He deliberately lashed out at Duo, his embarrassment and uncertainty at their maximum causing him to want to hurt _something_. "Get the hell out of my house before I arrest you for trespassing."

Wufei's back was to Duo, so he didn't see the hurt in his dark violet eyes or the pain that was written across his face. He wasn't an Empath, therefore he wouldn't feel the overwhelming heartache that consumed the braided man or the black hand of despair grasp his soul. All Wufei heard was the gentle latching of his front door and the sound of Duo driving away in his car.

* * *

Trowa rubbed his forehead, the pain echoing through his skull and he sighed a little. He could feel blood drip slowly down his arm from a knife wound, knowing the slash wasn't too deep but had severed a few small blood vessels. Flesh wounds always bled a ridiculous amount, he had learned. He took deep, gulping breaths before opening his emerald eyes and looking around the small warehouse, looking at the three bodies that lay on the ground before him. He couldn't feel their hearts beat at all, but then again he had caused them to stop on the first place.

As always after killing something, he felt queasy and nauseous. He turned, forcing his shaky limbs to move out of the warehouse and he swallowed thickly. Truth be told, he was grateful that the sleeve of his turtleneck would soak up the blood coming from the wound, knowing that he could leave no trace behind for the people to track. He glanced at his watched, trying to ignore the migraine that was settling into his skull and threatening to crack it open with an ice pick.

"Shit," He hissed and started to jog towards his car a few blocks from the warehouse. Trowa was going to be late for dinner at Quatre's house and he certainly didn't want to raise any sort of suspicions, though he doubted it would. After all, who could connect him in with the murders?

Truth be told, Trowa was looking forward to spending some time with the blond. He found him intelligent and completely genuine, both qualities feeling like a breath of fresh air to Trowa though he would never enlighten the smaller man to this fact. In the world that the Electrokinetic dealt with, everyone was underhanded and fake. If not his need for money to support Cathy, as well as pay for his schooling and their bills…then he wouldn't be in this line of work anyways. Even now, he doubted he could get out of this horrible web that he had been trapped in.

He found the blond's smile infectious and he couldn't help but feel a little lighter around him, as well as a little bit attracted. Quatre's enthusiasm and positive energy seemed to bubble over into everything he did. Trowa had gotten to calling him a little angel in his mind, find that it suited the innocence that he exuded and the soft halo of golden hair atop his head. The aquamarine eyes, however, was what really pulled Trowa in and he would happily like to gaze into those depths as long as he drew breath. Desire was certainly a factor for accepting the dinner invitation.

However, he knew that he could never be with Quatre for too long and he would have to be content with a simple friendship. Trowa knew that anyone he was close to could be used as a weakness against him and the Oz Organization was not above using such methods. Hell, how many times had Trowa resorted to such methods on their behalf as it was? He couldn't stand the thought of tainting the innocent blond with this world he was immersed is. It wouldn't be fair to Quatre, either. As it was, Cathy was in constant danger because of him…

Because, truthfully, she wasn't hit by a drunk driver. No, it had been a warning to Trowa that he had enemies out there…powerful enemies that weren't above hurting the ones he cared for to get at him.

He slid into his small Dodge Neon when he reached it, turning the key in the ignition and pulling out into the late evening rush hour traffic. He forced his mind away from the psychic overload that was starting to set in, weaving in and out of traffic in order to get back to his home to clean up. Though, he briefly glanced in the rearview in the direction of the warehouse as a little sadness crept into his heart and he said a prayer to whatever greater being to forgive him. He just hoped that they would understand that he did what he had to do to survive…and that people were counting on him to pull through.

_To be continued…_

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Author's Notes: This actually was a fun chapter to write! I hope I got the tension/argument between Wufei and Duo alright. I rewrote it twice because the first time it was a little too confusing. Part of me wanted Duo to sock one right in Wufei's jaw…the other wanted to leave it on a more melancholy note. Melancholy sort of won out, though.

And, Trowa…tsk, tsk! Late for dinner? Quatre might have a thing or two to say about that. Or maybe not? I guess we'll see next chapter!

As always, please review! Even if it's just to say hello and that you were here. I appreciate hearing from people, even if I don't reply right away. I'm trying to be better about it, but it still slips my mind now and then. Considering I have about eight or so e-mails staring me in the face in my inbox. Maybe I should go reply to those, huh? Looking forward to hearing from you!


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